I don’t see why people are giving Velvet Assassin such bad reviews. Yeah, it’s not an ‘action’ stealth game like Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid, but it holds it’s own as being a WWII game that DOESN’T involve being in the frontlines.
I’ve been needing a stealth game for my 360 and Velvet Assassin fits the case perfectly. It’s a surprisingly simple stealth game-for some this is good and others this is bad. If you’re looking for a stealth game where you get to use gadgets and gizmos as well as climb up walls, use grappling guns ect…turn away now, for Velvet Assassin has none of this. Nope. In this game all you have are your wits to get you through.
You start out discovering that Violet is in a coma in a hospital. Where she is exactly, you don’t know-but it’s explained as you play along. You then enter memories of the first mission-which is basiclly a tutorial level.
Stealth is extremely simple. Stay in the shadows(and silent), and you’re safe. Sneak behind an enemy and pull off as many silent kills as you can. Not only do these look sweet, but you can keep a low profile while doing so.
Firearms are based off real WWII weapons, and ammo for each one is EXTREMLEY limited, so you don’t want to waste any shots unless you have to. I’ve read some reviews from people saying that they don’t use the weapons…I seriously have NO clue how that’s possible-I find myself needing to use them time and time again for silent headshot kills as well for blasting my way through enemies when the time is right.
You upgrade Violet by finding collectables in each mission. In some missions there are hidden objectives and precious collectables that will chalk you up with a TON of experiance points, so it’s good to explore as much of the area as you can. Yes, gameplay is extremely linar-but that didn’t bother me at all. I actually liked it due to the fact that whenever I play Splinter Cell I ALWAYS get lost and frustrated. Velvet Assassin dims down the ‘frustrating lost’ vibe by being linar.
Graphics are-I’ll admit-not the greatest out there, but I’m not really one who nickpicks that sort of thing. I play on a standard 24 inch 480pi TV-and the game looks fine to me. Someone commented on the frame rate being bad, but I didn’t notice anything. I guess if you’re really picky about those sorts of things then you’d notice them.
The Morphine Mode in Velvet Assassin is pretty cool. Violet has the ability to use Morphine to stop time in all missions (except for missions 11 and 12) thus enabling her to pull off kills from the front or get the heck out of there. The screen glows white and Violet is in her nightgown (I’m not sure why…fits the mood, maybe?) with red blood cells floating everywhere. Weird…but cool at the same time.
The enviorments in Velvet Assassin are a mixture between boring and downright scary. The first mission is pretty boring. Once you hit the ‘Third Man’ mission things get sorta creepy. His mission 10 and you’ll find yourself in a creepy little town where Nazis have killed and strung about innocent people. Mission 12 hands down has the scariest envoirment in the entire game.
This really isn’t a problem as it is a surprise. I was rather shocked to see that Velvet Assassin actually has dead children in gameplay. It’s nothing gory or anything by all means-but this is the first game I’ve played that actually has children in a village…ya know, where children should be? Every other game that I’ve played that takes place in a location that SHOULD have children-doesn’t. This really did come as a surprise to me though. It’s not bad, it’s just unsual.
Personally I found Velvet Assassin to be quite fun. I was always eager to see where Violet would go next-and if she would ever wake up. (Oh, and her voice actor is really good) I enjoy the simple stealth system and found it fun to whistle-get someone’s attention, and then stealth kill him for his stupidity. But I’m just the kind of person who has a knack for patience-and I don’t need a flashy storyline to entertain me. Like I said, if you’re looking for an ‘action-packed’ stealth game then I suggest you stay clear of Velvet Assassin, cuz this isn’t the game for you.
Rating: 5 / 5
I picked this up from Steam after its initial release. The game seemed to be getting decent player reviews and that usually helps me decide to buy a game or not.
Velvet Assassin is a stealth game at heart. If you’ve played any of the Splinter Cell games you will be right at home here. However, unlike the PC version of Splinter Cell games this seems to be more geared toward the consoles or XBox 360.
You play as a British spy or secret agent (like – James Bond) which is actually a female that has been hospitalized after a unknown tragic accident. As you play through the story you will have various tasks to complete like destroying a fuel depot. Your main task is to get to your targets without being noticed by killing anyone that gets in your way. It’s a simple and effective stealth concept however the way you perform these tasks is a bit arcadish compared to many other PC stealth games of the past.
The controls are geared toward a XBox control scheme. You can not navigate the main menus with the PC mouse just the keyboard. The stealth kills are animated cut-sceens which are a bit cheesy to me. Climbing latters, going through doors or crawling under objects are not shown in real time as you will appear on the other side without actually going through the motions.
What saves this game is it’s errie and surreal stealth atmosphere. The story is not bad but can get confusing sometimes especially on what happened to her and why she is in the hospital. The music is well placed as you will her creepy sounds when your inside dark hallways and buildings.
The graphics are wonderful and very vibrate. I liked how the designers use color to set the mode in various levels. One level you may have bright reds and oranges and in another level you will have dark greens and blues. This is very creative to make the atmosphere look right for the story plot.
Overall, this game is not very long and you will finish it fairly quickly if you have played these types of games before. I didn’t like the console feel but it seems more PC games are just becoming XBox ports where the only difference is that it will play on a PC rather than a console system. This is sad that developers are that cheap and I feel this game is way too expensive for the quality you get. The gameplay does not warrent $50 as the publishers suggest. My advise is to wait until this game comes down to $30 or below due to the length, quality and the fact that there is no multiplayer. You can replay missions in different ways which adds little replay value.
If your looking for a WWII stealth game where you can play as a female British secret agent that stabs Nazi soldiers to death in a immersive atmosphere then Velvet Assassin is a good game. Just don’t pay full price for a average steatlh game that resembles a console game to the “T”.
Rating: 3 / 5
Video – 4.5; Positives include generally crisp resolution in higher settings, excellent use of light and shadow, unique coloring for mood and place. Negatives are few, but I found a couple of scenes too dark in the middle distance to see a foe, and the colors could get a little monotonous.
Sound – 5; excellent sound and musical score matched the atmosphere and locations well. Sound effectively used to generate tension when hunted, reinforce atmosphere. German voices add to atmospheric effect and are correct. Screams of people caught in a burning church were appalingly realistic and made me rush to try to save them, immersing me thoroughly (though very disturbing). Music genuinely haunting, especially end theme.
Gameplay – 3.5; Positives include stealth ability (similar to Splinter Cell and actually a little like the Theif games. Negatives are the “dream-like” morphine rush, which I never used beyond the first mission because it detrated from the realism and you do not have to to win, the inability to pick up dropped weapons (other than the morphine rush, perhaps the single most unrealistic element of the game), and the fact that generally you can avoid the enemy AI by using vertical movement (go up or down a stair and they lose you). They also seem to lose interest if you stay hidden for ahwile, which is not too realistic, either, but makes sense as a trade-off for gameplay.
Atmosphere – 5; like the old Thief games, with their dark visuals and eery music and sound themes, I found myself quite immersed and absorbed in this experience. Teh story is interesting if a bit difficult to pull together early as it’s told in falshbacks of a sort. The last missions, from escaping the hospital and then heading into the village, in which Violette is running around in her undies with a Luger, knife and StG43 (one of the first assault rifles, invented by the Germans – of course ) stretched credulity to some extent; I mean, just where is she stashing the guns and ammo and knife anyway…? The cinematics for stealth kills are actually pretty good, though randomized (might show you using the butt of your shotgun instead of the knife in the groin). I especially liked how Violette gets much more brutal as she vents her frustration and hatred on her targets starting in the hospital escape, often killing them and then stabbing them again and again with abandon – nice way of seeing her state of mind.
Replayability – 2; Not much, unless you want to play it again at a differnt difficulty level or try some different tactics to maximize experience points, collectibles, etc…
Commentary: Overall, I found the game one of the more enjoyable and engaging PC stealth shooters I have played in some time, despite being an obvious console port (bummer, I pine for the good old days when the PC was king…sigh). Just so you know my bias, I really enjoyed the Thief and Splinter Cell games, and to some extent Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (in stealth mode). If you like this type of game, even if a bit linear, appreciate the drama of WW2 espionage and well crafted, atmospheric envionments accented by solid visuals combined with excellent sound effects and music, you will like this game. Be warned as with Thief and Splinter Cell, you cannot ‘run and gun’ your way through this and live.
Recomended “extra”: Use the flare gun for a treat – screaming Nazis on fire. Or hit the tank on the flamethrower troops for a similar effect – suh-weeeet. And bottom line, what can be better than killing Nazis with a knife, from behind, or roasting them alive?
Rating: 4 / 5
Overall, Velvet Assassain is a great old school stealth game.
Great, vivid, eerie environments combined with a constant sense of hostility makes a beautiful gaming experience fit for only those with long attention spans.
If you enjoyed the original Splinter Cell or any of the Hitman games, this one will not dissapoint.
Warning, this is another STEAM powered game in which they intentionally left it off the box to sell the game.
When I tried to install it, it lagged and froze while it tried to verify my steam account. Then, after verifying that I had an account, and after another 3 minutes of doing nothing, it finally gave me a Play/Option screen. It then forces you to set your graphics preferences before it will let the game start. (This should always default to the best performance settings and let you tweak it later to suit your computer)
Once the game starts, you finally see the main menu which is NOT mouse friendly. It can only be used with the keyboard.
This will be your initial encounter with Velvet Assassin. Good luck
I chose high details and have a NVidia 9800GT card, 3GB RAM and quadcore 6600 processor. Not the best setup but not bad eitherand it didn’t look bad for a Southpeak game. The details were pretty clear in walls, clothes, etc. Bushes and foliage were jaggy and less detailed.
Movement was pretty fluid and I didn’t get stuck sneaking around objects or pathways.
The initial mission is all stealth. If they see you, you can’t fight back??!! They simply shoot you and you go back to the last auto save.
Sneaking – You have to hold down the sneak/crouch key??!! In a game based around stealth, you shouldn’t have to hold the sneak key down.
There is no jump/climp key. If you are near something that can be climbed like a ladder, you click on it and it doesn’t let you control the climb. in a split second, you are up the ladder and need to be ready to move NOW.
There are too many negetives in this game to pay so much. It’s a $20 game in my opinion.
Rating: 2 / 5
I don’t see why people are giving Velvet Assassin such bad reviews. Yeah, it’s not an ‘action’ stealth game like Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid, but it holds it’s own as being a WWII game that DOESN’T involve being in the frontlines.
I’ve been needing a stealth game for my 360 and Velvet Assassin fits the case perfectly. It’s a surprisingly simple stealth game-for some this is good and others this is bad. If you’re looking for a stealth game where you get to use gadgets and gizmos as well as climb up walls, use grappling guns ect…turn away now, for Velvet Assassin has none of this. Nope. In this game all you have are your wits to get you through.
You start out discovering that Violet is in a coma in a hospital. Where she is exactly, you don’t know-but it’s explained as you play along. You then enter memories of the first mission-which is basiclly a tutorial level.
Stealth is extremely simple. Stay in the shadows(and silent), and you’re safe. Sneak behind an enemy and pull off as many silent kills as you can. Not only do these look sweet, but you can keep a low profile while doing so.
Firearms are based off real WWII weapons, and ammo for each one is EXTREMLEY limited, so you don’t want to waste any shots unless you have to. I’ve read some reviews from people saying that they don’t use the weapons…I seriously have NO clue how that’s possible-I find myself needing to use them time and time again for silent headshot kills as well for blasting my way through enemies when the time is right.
You upgrade Violet by finding collectables in each mission. In some missions there are hidden objectives and precious collectables that will chalk you up with a TON of experiance points, so it’s good to explore as much of the area as you can. Yes, gameplay is extremely linar-but that didn’t bother me at all. I actually liked it due to the fact that whenever I play Splinter Cell I ALWAYS get lost and frustrated. Velvet Assassin dims down the ‘frustrating lost’ vibe by being linar.
Graphics are-I’ll admit-not the greatest out there, but I’m not really one who nickpicks that sort of thing. I play on a standard 24 inch 480pi TV-and the game looks fine to me. Someone commented on the frame rate being bad, but I didn’t notice anything. I guess if you’re really picky about those sorts of things then you’d notice them.
The Morphine Mode in Velvet Assassin is pretty cool. Violet has the ability to use Morphine to stop time in all missions (except for missions 11 and 12) thus enabling her to pull off kills from the front or get the heck out of there. The screen glows white and Violet is in her nightgown (I’m not sure why…fits the mood, maybe?) with red blood cells floating everywhere. Weird…but cool at the same time.
The enviorments in Velvet Assassin are a mixture between boring and downright scary. The first mission is pretty boring. Once you hit the ‘Third Man’ mission things get sorta creepy. His mission 10 and you’ll find yourself in a creepy little town where Nazis have killed and strung about innocent people. Mission 12 hands down has the scariest envoirment in the entire game.
This really isn’t a problem as it is a surprise. I was rather shocked to see that Velvet Assassin actually has dead children in gameplay. It’s nothing gory or anything by all means-but this is the first game I’ve played that actually has children in a village…ya know, where children should be? Every other game that I’ve played that takes place in a location that SHOULD have children-doesn’t. This really did come as a surprise to me though. It’s not bad, it’s just unsual.
Personally I found Velvet Assassin to be quite fun. I was always eager to see where Violet would go next-and if she would ever wake up. (Oh, and her voice actor is really good) I enjoy the simple stealth system and found it fun to whistle-get someone’s attention, and then stealth kill him for his stupidity. But I’m just the kind of person who has a knack for patience-and I don’t need a flashy storyline to entertain me. Like I said, if you’re looking for an ‘action-packed’ stealth game then I suggest you stay clear of Velvet Assassin, cuz this isn’t the game for you.
Rating: 5 / 5
I picked this up from Steam after its initial release. The game seemed to be getting decent player reviews and that usually helps me decide to buy a game or not.
Velvet Assassin is a stealth game at heart. If you’ve played any of the Splinter Cell games you will be right at home here. However, unlike the PC version of Splinter Cell games this seems to be more geared toward the consoles or XBox 360.
You play as a British spy or secret agent (like – James Bond) which is actually a female that has been hospitalized after a unknown tragic accident. As you play through the story you will have various tasks to complete like destroying a fuel depot. Your main task is to get to your targets without being noticed by killing anyone that gets in your way. It’s a simple and effective stealth concept however the way you perform these tasks is a bit arcadish compared to many other PC stealth games of the past.
The controls are geared toward a XBox control scheme. You can not navigate the main menus with the PC mouse just the keyboard. The stealth kills are animated cut-sceens which are a bit cheesy to me. Climbing latters, going through doors or crawling under objects are not shown in real time as you will appear on the other side without actually going through the motions.
What saves this game is it’s errie and surreal stealth atmosphere. The story is not bad but can get confusing sometimes especially on what happened to her and why she is in the hospital. The music is well placed as you will her creepy sounds when your inside dark hallways and buildings.
The graphics are wonderful and very vibrate. I liked how the designers use color to set the mode in various levels. One level you may have bright reds and oranges and in another level you will have dark greens and blues. This is very creative to make the atmosphere look right for the story plot.
Overall, this game is not very long and you will finish it fairly quickly if you have played these types of games before. I didn’t like the console feel but it seems more PC games are just becoming XBox ports where the only difference is that it will play on a PC rather than a console system. This is sad that developers are that cheap and I feel this game is way too expensive for the quality you get. The gameplay does not warrent $50 as the publishers suggest. My advise is to wait until this game comes down to $30 or below due to the length, quality and the fact that there is no multiplayer. You can replay missions in different ways which adds little replay value.
If your looking for a WWII stealth game where you can play as a female British secret agent that stabs Nazi soldiers to death in a immersive atmosphere then Velvet Assassin is a good game. Just don’t pay full price for a average steatlh game that resembles a console game to the “T”.
Rating: 3 / 5
First the basics:
Video – 4.5; Positives include generally crisp resolution in higher settings, excellent use of light and shadow, unique coloring for mood and place. Negatives are few, but I found a couple of scenes too dark in the middle distance to see a foe, and the colors could get a little monotonous.
Sound – 5; excellent sound and musical score matched the atmosphere and locations well. Sound effectively used to generate tension when hunted, reinforce atmosphere. German voices add to atmospheric effect and are correct. Screams of people caught in a burning church were appalingly realistic and made me rush to try to save them, immersing me thoroughly (though very disturbing). Music genuinely haunting, especially end theme.
Gameplay – 3.5; Positives include stealth ability (similar to Splinter Cell and actually a little like the Theif games. Negatives are the “dream-like” morphine rush, which I never used beyond the first mission because it detrated from the realism and you do not have to to win, the inability to pick up dropped weapons (other than the morphine rush, perhaps the single most unrealistic element of the game), and the fact that generally you can avoid the enemy AI by using vertical movement (go up or down a stair and they lose you). They also seem to lose interest if you stay hidden for ahwile, which is not too realistic, either, but makes sense as a trade-off for gameplay.
Atmosphere – 5; like the old Thief games, with their dark visuals and eery music and sound themes, I found myself quite immersed and absorbed in this experience. Teh story is interesting if a bit difficult to pull together early as it’s told in falshbacks of a sort. The last missions, from escaping the hospital and then heading into the village, in which Violette is running around in her undies with a Luger, knife and StG43 (one of the first assault rifles, invented by the Germans – of course
) stretched credulity to some extent; I mean, just where is she stashing the guns and ammo and knife anyway…? The cinematics for stealth kills are actually pretty good, though randomized (might show you using the butt of your shotgun instead of the knife in the groin). I especially liked how Violette gets much more brutal as she vents her frustration and hatred on her targets starting in the hospital escape, often killing them and then stabbing them again and again with abandon – nice way of seeing her state of mind.
Replayability – 2; Not much, unless you want to play it again at a differnt difficulty level or try some different tactics to maximize experience points, collectibles, etc…
Commentary: Overall, I found the game one of the more enjoyable and engaging PC stealth shooters I have played in some time, despite being an obvious console port (bummer, I pine for the good old days when the PC was king…sigh). Just so you know my bias, I really enjoyed the Thief and Splinter Cell games, and to some extent Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (in stealth mode). If you like this type of game, even if a bit linear, appreciate the drama of WW2 espionage and well crafted, atmospheric envionments accented by solid visuals combined with excellent sound effects and music, you will like this game. Be warned as with Thief and Splinter Cell, you cannot ‘run and gun’ your way through this and live.
Recomended “extra”: Use the flare gun for a treat – screaming Nazis on fire. Or hit the tank on the flamethrower troops for a similar effect – suh-weeeet. And bottom line, what can be better than killing Nazis with a knife, from behind, or roasting them alive?
Rating: 4 / 5
In the spirit of spinter cell.
Overall, Velvet Assassain is a great old school stealth game.
Great, vivid, eerie environments combined with a constant sense of hostility makes a beautiful gaming experience fit for only those with long attention spans.
If you enjoyed the original Splinter Cell or any of the Hitman games, this one will not dissapoint.
Just have an open mind.
Rating: 5 / 5
Warning, this is another STEAM powered game in which they intentionally left it off the box to sell the game.
When I tried to install it, it lagged and froze while it tried to verify my steam account. Then, after verifying that I had an account, and after another 3 minutes of doing nothing, it finally gave me a Play/Option screen. It then forces you to set your graphics preferences before it will let the game start. (This should always default to the best performance settings and let you tweak it later to suit your computer)
Once the game starts, you finally see the main menu which is NOT mouse friendly. It can only be used with the keyboard.
This will be your initial encounter with Velvet Assassin. Good luck
I chose high details and have a NVidia 9800GT card, 3GB RAM and quadcore 6600 processor. Not the best setup but not bad eitherand it didn’t look bad for a Southpeak game. The details were pretty clear in walls, clothes, etc. Bushes and foliage were jaggy and less detailed.
Movement was pretty fluid and I didn’t get stuck sneaking around objects or pathways.
The initial mission is all stealth. If they see you, you can’t fight back??!! They simply shoot you and you go back to the last auto save.
Sneaking – You have to hold down the sneak/crouch key??!! In a game based around stealth, you shouldn’t have to hold the sneak key down.
There is no jump/climp key. If you are near something that can be climbed like a ladder, you click on it and it doesn’t let you control the climb. in a split second, you are up the ladder and need to be ready to move NOW.
There are too many negetives in this game to pay so much. It’s a $20 game in my opinion.
Rating: 2 / 5